Published 15:36 IST, January 8th 2020
BIG: Ukraine International Airlines reveals that crashed aircraft was checked 2 days ago
The Ukraine International Airlines on Wednesday revealed that the maintenance of the crashed Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft was carried out on January 6, 2020.
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In an important development, the Ukraine International Airlines on Wednesday revealed that the maintenance of the crashed Boeing 737-800 NG aircraft was carried out just two days ago, i.e January 6, 2020. Moreover, it stated that the aircraft was built in 2016 and was directly supplied to the airline by Boeing. So far, Boeing has taken note of the incident and is gathering more information about the plane crash in Tehran. Many rumours have been doing the rounds regarding the connection of the current US-Iran impasse to the UIA plane crash.
An official statement from Ukraine International Airlines regarding flight #PS752 from Tehran to Kyiv, operated by Boeing 737 (UR-PSR). #Iran pic.twitter.com/XoIpOyxEUJ
— Aviation Iran (@aviationirancom) January 8, 2020
We are aware of the media reports out of Iran and we are gathering more information.
— The Boeing Company (@Boeing) January 8, 2020
Boeing aircraft faces criticism
Boeing has faced a lot of criticism due to its aircraft being involved in numerous crashes in the last few years. The 737-800 aircraft has been involved in deadly accidents such as the crash of the Air India Express flight in Mangalore in 2010 and the crash of the FlyDubai flight in Russia in March 2016. Meanwhile, the 737 Max 8 aircraft which belongs to the same family as 737-800 has been grounded since two horrific accidents took place in Indonesia and Ethiopia within 6 months. Some reports suggest that a new automatic flight control feature on the planes could be one of the causes behind the crash of the Boeing aircraft.
Investigation to be conducted
According to Ukraine International Airlines' statement, the flight took off from the Tehran International airport at 6.10 am local time on Wednesday. Approximately 167 passengers and 9 crew members were on board. Furthermore, it stated that the incident will be investigated by aviation authorities of Iran and Ukraine, representatives of manufacturer Boeing, the airline and the National Bureau of Air Accidents Investigation of Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian embassy in Iran, the plane had crashed due to engine failure rather than an act of terrorism.
15:35 IST, January 8th 2020